@@martyscncgarage5275 I'm actually retrofitting an old plasmacam table. I wonder if the conversational aspect of cnc12 would be easy enough for my guys to use to make flanges and cover plates
Good video. Thank you. Are there a lot of single axis CNC production machines with encoder feedback? Precision bottle openers? Why is Centriod so intent on keeping the DOS/Norton Commander interface with a blue background and function keys? Reminds me of CADKEY. It was great at the time.. but... why? so you can memorize the function keys to do your normal work?
Marty, Thanks for the videos, they have been very helpful in setting up Acorn. I have a 5V optical limit switch to home the axes, and have verified with a voltmeter that it outputs 5V when on. When I connect this input, assign it "Axis1HomeLimitOK", and view it using ALT+I as you show ~30 minute mark in this video, I never see the input change. I am using the screw terminals, and was wondering if I needed to either use the DB-25 terminal or a 24V limit switch, if those even exist. Otherwise, what could be causing this issue? Thanks for the help.
You can not connect this switch to Acorn. What you need is NPN NC switch that can SINK the Acorn 24VDC input to ground. What you could use, is wire them to an opto relay board. PLEASE post this question to the Centroid User forums and I will answer it there so that ALL have the benefit of learning! centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=60
Marty, is there a video that explains how to save a .dig file to ncfiles folder? In regards to a digitized scan where does it go after I scan. Windows recents shows nothing so I have to presume it isn’t saving and I can’t find it in ncfiles folder. Perhaps a video of this process exists or you could make one for us?? Thanks. :-)
martyscncgarage, yeah that seems to be a consensus even on the forum very little is known and almost mystical. I have a running post there and some information and responses about the scanning process but why my files are not saving is probably confusing. I may try and reinstall cnc12 and see if maybe something installed incorrect. Thanks.
Is it common to have to "dial in" the rotations per inch to dial in the machine? Even with ballscrews? I have a 5mm pitch ( according to my conversion kit maker) double-nut ball screws, so I set my number to 5.08. However, when program a 1 inch move, it overshoots it.
The video is 6 years old. The Wizard is very different now. Go to the Centroid CNC Users forum and explain what you are having trouble with or what questions you have. Provide plenty of details, what Axis drives and motors you are using, what kind of machine, and pictures.
The most important thing I want to see is the actually wiring of the controls cabinet & the wiring of the encoder to the spindle motor into the Acorn boarad with all the fuses & step down & step up transformers to power the spindle motor. I have not seen any video of this sort laying out all the wiring . Any help would be appreciated.
Every system is different Donald. Your best bet is to download the Acorn schematic set from Centroid's website and study them. Your request is a tall order to fill.
Do you have an Acorn system? Or are you researching? Do you have basic electrical/electronic skills? Can you read a schematic? I did dry erase board exercises and covered some of it on my other videos.
@@martyscncgarage5275 I don't have a Acorn system yet. I do have basic electrical/electronic skills. I just to see a video where & how to mount the Acorn born board & extension board, axis drivers & all the other electrical components wired & an explanation of the components used and why.
@@donaldhollingsworth3875 much depends on the machine. Same with components. Small machine or large machine. Used CNC machine or new build? What size motors are on it now? If you were to take pictures, explain your build and post to the Centroid Users forum, we could give you some ideas. Very difficult to give suggestions not knowing what you are working with. centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=20
Hey Marty, can you make a video explaining the differences between the centroid Acorn and Centroid Oak boards? And when to use which board. Im retrofitting 2 1997 fryer bed mills. Also can you talk more about controlling spindle with a centroid? These mills have a Bridgeport style spindle rpm wheel that you turn to increase or decrease rpms. I would like the spindle solely controlled by the g code . Thanks
I can, but there is some time and effort involved. Does this help you? www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_diy/centroid_diy_cnc.html As for your spindle question. On a mechanical variable speed head, you manually set the ratio at about 1:1 and then use a sensorless vector VFD like the GS3 from Automation rectify.com connect any 3 of the Centroid motion controllers 0-10v analog output to the VFD and then the motion controller can control the VFD through Sxxx commands, and the VFD can vary the speed of the spindle motor. I hope this helps
You should make clear that you are upside down in the video as to when you are standing at the mill. So the table is moving the opposite way the arrow is pressed for the cut to be happening as of the spindle is moving. Kinda confusing if you don't see the hand movement and correlate it to you say left and right.
Phil, follow my Clausing Kondia build and I will do just that. Go to the Centroid CNC User forums if you need immediate help. Please post the make and model of your VFD as well as a link to you VFD manual
Thank you for the video ,which processor I can use for my router machine with a rotary axis, I use artcam and I do not find the axis A in the code, is there a list of processor for the 3d accept by centroid? thank you.
Hey Marty my CNC router uses 2 motors to run my gantry. So my question is will Acorn work if I want to add a rotary system to it later? My router is a CNC Router Parts Pro system.
Hardware pairing would be your answer. That is you connect the tow motor drivers to one axis output out of Acorn saving the fourth axis for a rotary axis. This has been discussed on the Centroid CNC Acorn users forum I'm pretty sure. Post and ask the question there. Maybe someone that has done it will chime in.
I have questions about "steps/revolution" when you are setting up your stepper motors. You said that there were 200--steps/revolution when using a motor with "1.8 degree steps. But the number in the box is 2000. Should that not have been changed to 200? Or I am confused? I am sure it is just me, because I am brand new to CNC; and planning to DIY a CNC after purchasing the Centroid Acorn Controller; and all else I need to have a 4 axis (simultaneously) system: X, Y, Z and Rotary (A) Motors. Hope you can help me with these questions. Thanks in advance.
Pat, it depends on whether or not your stepper driver micro steps or not. For example, the Geckodrive G540 microstepping at 10x, so you multiply the 200 x micro step rate. In this example it is 2000. Feel free to visit and post on the Centroid User Acorn forum. Lots of us there offer in help including the Centroid technical staff. This way many users get the benefit of learning from the questions asked.
15:41 what hard is there. its allways spindle/tool that moves. even its table.thats how i teach tool moves this way +. and this way - its same on lathe and mill. tool moves.whatever machine has build. tool can be fixed position and part is moved there, but its still tool that moves LOL
cnchobby1: Yes it most certainly does. If you have more questions, post them to the Centroid Community Support Forum centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php
You don't provide any information about your setup. I don't know what you have. Please post screen shots of your wizard pages, provide make and model of your drives and motors and a link to the manual for you axis motor drives and a picture of your wiring on the Centroid Acorn User's forum: centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=60
Thanks marty,, i have all axis working right now,, it on wizard i check all the step, dir, ena box,, after i uncheck it all its working,, and now new problem is coming,, how to set and calibrate the axis,,
I agree here. I just got my acorn today and have been learning the software. its extremely antiquated in many ways. Hopefully less glitchy and more stable than Mach 4, otherwise my upgrade was a waste!
43:26 that should never happen it should read x1 what ever motor turns lol.if software know i mean read how far motor move it should move it back x1 or other way it should neder go pass. where that x1.0001 come lol configure your machine using metric i bet your theards are metric you get integer value and it will be EXACT lol and metric is more acurate MEANING metric machines has 0.000 and inch machines has 0.0000 smallest movement on inch machine you can see on screen 0.0001inch = 0.00254 mm on metric machine that movement on metric machine would read 0.003 ?? so metric machine can do allmost 3x more acurate based on just display logic lol. so that error 0.0001 is like very easy to see on metric 0.002-0.003 so using metric when calibrating and then switch inches you get best result or JUST stay in metric its better. to change inch and metric its G20 and G21 right?
very detailed. now i'm convinced this is the way to go.
@@RayMAKES Ray, I believe you'll be very pleased with Centroid Acorn. Centroid continues to improved the hardware and software.
@@martyscncgarage5275 I'm actually retrofitting an old plasmacam table. I wonder if the conversational aspect of cnc12 would be easy enough for my guys to use to make flanges and cover plates
Very detailed and extremely helpful..Thanks Marty!
Great video but still a lil overwhelmed. Looking to upgrade a cnc laser but hesitant yet
What format laser?
@@MartyEscarcega pwm i believe
@@laserfalcon is this a small bench top machine? Acorn fully supports PWM and I have driven a laser with it mounted on my router
@@laserfalcon have you done a TH-cam search for Centroid CNC Laser?
@@MartyEscarcega i was in touch with centroid but not done a search yet
Good video. Thank you. Are there a lot of single axis CNC production machines with encoder feedback? Precision bottle openers? Why is Centriod so intent on keeping the DOS/Norton Commander interface with a blue background and function keys? Reminds me of CADKEY. It was great at the time.. but... why? so you can memorize the function keys to do your normal work?
It was a demonstration. Simple and clean user interface, solid control.
Please disregard my questions below. As I watched more of you fine video, you explained it.
Thanks
Cool!👍
Marty,
Thanks for the videos, they have been very helpful in setting up Acorn. I have a 5V optical limit switch to home the axes, and have verified with a voltmeter that it outputs 5V when on. When I connect this input, assign it "Axis1HomeLimitOK", and view it using ALT+I as you show ~30 minute mark in this video, I never see the input change. I am using the screw terminals, and was wondering if I needed to either use the DB-25 terminal or a 24V limit switch, if those even exist. Otherwise, what could be causing this issue?
Thanks for the help.
You can not connect this switch to Acorn. What you need is NPN NC switch that can SINK the Acorn 24VDC input to ground. What you could use, is wire them to an opto relay board.
PLEASE post this question to the Centroid User forums and I will answer it there so that ALL have the benefit of learning! centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=60
Very detailed ..Thanks Dave
Thanks Dave. Hope you found it useful.
Marty, is there a video that explains how to save a .dig file to ncfiles folder? In regards to a digitized scan where does it go after I scan. Windows recents shows nothing so I have to presume it isn’t saving and I can’t find it in ncfiles folder. Perhaps a video of this process exists or you could make one for us?? Thanks. :-)
I have no experience with that. Post on forum
martyscncgarage, yeah that seems to be a consensus even on the forum very little is known and almost mystical. I have a running post there and some information and responses about the scanning process but why my files are not saving is probably confusing. I may try and reinstall cnc12 and see if maybe something installed incorrect. Thanks.
Does wizard come with centroids software?
Absolutely! It's how you configure the software. Centroid also has an installation manual and many schematics
Is it common to have to "dial in" the rotations per inch to dial in the machine? Even with ballscrews? I have a 5mm pitch ( according to my conversion kit maker) double-nut ball screws, so I set my number to 5.08. However, when program a 1 inch move, it overshoots it.
Yes,you will need to fine tune the machine
Not sure what cnc12 version your running but it's not in mine :/
The video is 6 years old. The Wizard is very different now. Go to the Centroid CNC Users forum and explain what you are having trouble with or what questions you have. Provide plenty of details, what Axis drives and motors you are using, what kind of machine, and pictures.
The most important thing I want to see is the actually wiring of the controls cabinet & the wiring of the encoder to the spindle motor into the Acorn boarad with all the fuses & step down & step up transformers to power the spindle motor. I have not seen any video of this sort laying out all the wiring .
Any help would be appreciated.
Every system is different Donald. Your best bet is to download the Acorn schematic set from Centroid's website and study them. Your request is a tall order to fill.
Do you have an Acorn system? Or are you researching? Do you have basic electrical/electronic skills? Can you read a schematic? I did dry erase board exercises and covered some of it on my other videos.
@@martyscncgarage5275 I don't have a Acorn system yet. I do have basic electrical/electronic skills. I just to see a video where & how to mount the Acorn born board & extension board, axis drivers & all the other electrical components wired & an explanation of the components used and why.
@@donaldhollingsworth3875 much depends on the machine. Same with components. Small machine or large machine. Used CNC machine or new build? What size motors are on it now? If you were to take pictures, explain your build and post to the Centroid Users forum, we could give you some ideas. Very difficult to give suggestions not knowing what you are working with. centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=20
Hey Marty, can you make a video explaining the differences between the centroid Acorn and Centroid Oak boards? And when to use which board. Im retrofitting 2 1997 fryer bed mills. Also can you talk more about controlling spindle with a centroid? These mills have a Bridgeport style spindle rpm wheel that you turn to increase or decrease rpms. I would like the spindle solely controlled by the g code . Thanks
I can, but there is some time and effort involved. Does this help you? www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_diy/centroid_diy_cnc.html
As for your spindle question. On a mechanical variable speed head, you manually set the ratio at about 1:1 and then use a sensorless vector VFD like the GS3 from Automation rectify.com connect any 3 of the Centroid motion controllers 0-10v analog output to the VFD and then the motion controller can control the VFD through Sxxx commands, and the VFD can vary the speed of the spindle motor. I hope this helps
You should make clear that you are upside down in the video as to when you are standing at the mill. So the table is moving the opposite way the arrow is pressed for the cut to be happening as of the spindle is moving. Kinda confusing if you don't see the hand movement and correlate it to you say left and right.
Great videos Marty. Thanks for them. Could you suggest or make a video on how to hook up/set up a spindle & VFD to Acorn ?
Phil, follow my Clausing Kondia build and I will do just that. Go to the Centroid CNC User forums if you need immediate help. Please post the make and model of your VFD as well as a link to you VFD manual
Will do. In the meantime I've posted @ centroid. Thank again.
Excellent video.
Thanks Greg
Thanks Greg, hope it was useful.
Thank you for the video ,which processor I can use for my router machine with a rotary axis, I use artcam and I do not find the axis A in the code, is there a list of processor for the 3d accept by centroid? thank you.
Basically any Intel processor running at 2.9GHZ or faster should be ok. Please see: www.centroidcnc.com/cnc_pc_performance_requirements.html
Hey Marty my CNC router uses 2 motors to run my gantry. So my question is will Acorn work if I want to add a rotary system to it later? My router is a CNC Router Parts Pro system.
Hardware pairing would be your answer. That is you connect the tow motor drivers to one axis output out of Acorn saving the fourth axis for a rotary axis. This has been discussed on the Centroid CNC Acorn users forum I'm pretty sure. Post and ask the question there. Maybe someone that has done it will chime in.
has the wizard page changed since 2017 ?
Yes, immensely. Constantly being improved.
So I'm running automation technology's kl-5080h driver. When you select the driver brand what should I click on?
Leadshine
I have questions about "steps/revolution" when you are setting up your stepper motors. You said that there were 200--steps/revolution when using a motor with "1.8 degree steps. But the number in the box is 2000. Should that not have been changed to 200?
Or I am confused? I am sure it is just me, because I am brand new to CNC; and planning to DIY a CNC after purchasing the Centroid Acorn Controller; and all else I need to have a 4 axis (simultaneously) system: X, Y, Z and Rotary (A) Motors.
Hope you can help me with these questions.
Thanks in advance.
Pat, it depends on whether or not your stepper driver micro steps or not. For example, the Geckodrive G540 microstepping at 10x, so you multiply the 200 x micro step rate. In this example it is 2000. Feel free to visit and post on the Centroid User Acorn forum. Lots of us there offer in help including the Centroid technical staff. This way many users get the benefit of learning from the questions asked.
What if you have closed loop steppers do you use the encoder count or the steppers steps?
jeremy, use the encoder count X4. If encoder count is 1000 use 4000 in Wizard motor steps per rev
can i use centroid boards for cnc plasma and oxy-fuels
Shouldn't be a problem. Post any questions to the Centroid CNC User's forum centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=60
I do not get the virtual control panel on my screen when I start up- why?
You must have a wide screen monitor. Not a standard old square monitor.
Great for education Thanks
Thank you Tony, I hope it was useful to you.
15:41 what hard is there. its allways spindle/tool that moves. even its table.thats how i teach tool moves this way +. and this way - its same on lathe and mill. tool moves.whatever machine has build. tool can be fixed position and part is moved there, but its still tool that moves LOL
also i wondering if this controller accept slave axis like on big gantry?
thanks
cnchobby1: Yes it most certainly does. If you have more questions, post them to the Centroid Community Support Forum centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php
Okay thanks
The motor revolution calculator is on line or you create it?
Its posted over on Centroid's user forums Marco.
Hi marty,,
I got no movement,, i follow step by step as u showed,, but my motor won’t move,,
You don't provide any information about your setup. I don't know what you have. Please post screen shots of your wizard pages, provide make and model of your drives and motors and a link to the manual for you axis motor drives and a picture of your wiring on the Centroid Acorn User's forum: centroidcncforum.com/viewforum.php?f=60
Thanks marty,, i have all axis working right now,, it on wizard i check all the step, dir, ena box,, after i uncheck it all its working,, and now new problem is coming,, how to set and calibrate the axis,,
I've done a video on that. Make sure you setup uour motor steps per rev and verify first
martyscncgarage
Yeah,, still study it
Spreadsheet?
You can find it over on the Centroid User Forums: centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1085&start=10
This sure is a antiquated way to have to set up a axis could they make it any more of a pain in the ass.
Not a pain at all. Doesn't take much time to do it.....
I agree here. I just got my acorn today and have been learning the software. its extremely antiquated in many ways. Hopefully less glitchy and more stable than Mach 4, otherwise my upgrade was a waste!
43:26 that should never happen it should read x1 what ever motor turns lol.if software know i mean read how far motor move it should move it back x1 or other way it should neder go pass.
where that x1.0001 come lol configure your machine using metric i bet your theards are metric you get integer value and it will be EXACT lol and metric is more acurate
MEANING metric machines has 0.000 and inch machines has 0.0000
smallest movement on inch machine you can see on screen 0.0001inch = 0.00254 mm on metric machine that movement on metric machine would read 0.003 ?? so metric machine can do allmost 3x more acurate based on just display logic lol. so that error 0.0001 is like very easy to see on metric 0.002-0.003 so using metric when calibrating and then switch inches you get best result or JUST stay in metric its better.
to change inch and metric its G20 and G21 right?